India and The Plague of Female Feticide

Bangalore: As our Prime minister has remarked, female feticide is a ‘national shame’. It is still a shameful fact that female feticide does exist in our country. The education level has increased, our technologies have improved and female emancipation is going all around our country but still we are unable to eradicate this threat of female feticide. It is also promising that there is a deliberate effort from many of our states to control female feticide. Gujarat stands as a good example for taking initiatives for such efforts.

TV reality show Satymev Jayate hosted by super star Amir Khan has now brought the present public attention to the issue of female feticide. The Sunday episode of the programme discussed many critical issues around this threat. Many testimonial stories added life to the programme.

Female feticide is a major threat to our country because it has affected the entire social structure. Why are the girls children unwanted in the society? This issue points to many patriarchal attitudes and constructions of the society. Our society has still a long way to go to eradicate this social problem since it is a problem that comes from the mind sets of the people. The general notion of girl child being a burden has to be changed from the minds of people. But we can’t wait till the whole change occurs. The radical change comes from strong efforts. When awareness alone can’t stop the menace government should take some practical steps

Post your Comment

1:
People remember this only for the short period, which gives the gov't a chance to not to take any action against it.. We, actually are so busy in our money earning race that we don’t take any further steps to prevent such cause(includes me)…….

2:
All those who have commented forget that India has been a patriarchal society from time immemorial and we have none the worse off until recently when we have thrown all good things in the social laws as outmoded and barbaric.It is the present day attitude of crass materialism and 'me and mine' at any cost that has led to this situation. Let us not blame our wise elders who were greatly concerned about the welfare of all their children male or female.

4:
It is terrible that such things exist. And it is also a shame to make out of it an "Indian affaire". Other countries have even worse male-female relationship than India - but it is less politically instrumetalized by journalists and anti-Hindu lobby

5:
Definitely female feticide is a crime. Still, as a lady, I have faced too much of cruelty towards female and I intensely felt the bane of living in our patriarchal society as a female. Thus I feel that those female children, who are killed before they are born, could escape their lifelong misery which is for their benefit.

Disproportionate M/F ration is of much concern. But, is this concern to be addressed only by the females by sacrificing their lives, may it be virtually or physically?

Some people may be shocked by this statement. But, open your eyes, get the reality, and feel the pain of the Indian ladies before you comment anything against this.

Being another Indian lady, I actually agree with you wholeheartedly. The patriarchal indian society is extremely harsh & cruel towards its females. Female foeticide may be a crime, but in my eyes giving birth to innocent little girls in such misogynist society & making them suffer this hellish life is a bigger crime. Mothers who are aborting their unborn girls are actually doing them a favour. Why bother if the men in future get a wife or not ? How you sow so you reap.

7:
Dear PM declare feticide as crime .i mean homicide and should be made punishable as that of murder simple bring a bill on the table get it passed.Inaction on the part of Govt is the root cause and unable to handle this evil.

Rightly said, in fact I believe that government should ask the hospitals & maternity clinics to keep the record of the expecting woman, from the day one she visits for a check up & ensure safe deliver of the kid & as soon as the kid is delivered, it should be immediately registered as a part of the family by the government